Confessions of a Traffic Lawyer Blog

I recently secured through a Freedom of Information Act request 2014 data on the Traffic Violations Bureau (“TVB”) and share the following overall and court-specific statistics: TVB collected just under $63 million from motorists who pled guilty in person or who were found guilty after hearings. This total consists of fines, surcharges and suspension termination fees. TVB […]

The issuance of traffic tickets for illegally using a smart phone and other electronic device have exploded over the last few years in New York. It is a very easy violation to spot and relatively easy one to prove in traffic court. Further, pursuant to Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 1225-d, this offense carries a hefty punishment (5 […]

Beating a red light camera ticket is like winning the lottery. Generally, unless you can prove an expected mechanical failure, genuine and urgent emergency, stolen car or some other extraordinary defense, you’re pretty much sunk. A video of you committing the offense pretty much is all that is needed to prove the case against you. […]

A truck driver in Nebraska created a whole new level of stupid. He taped his smart phone to his steering wheel. During a routine weigh-in stop, a state trooper spotted the 21-year-old commercial vehicle driver wearing headphones. When the officer climbed into his commercial rig, he spotted the “unique” hands-free device and observed that the driver was in […]

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced yesterday that tickets issued to motorists for texting while driving increased 35% statewide from 2013 to 2014, as police continue to crack down on distracted drivers. Improving safety on the roads is a priority for Governor Cuomo, who has spearheaded several initiatives targeted at reducing distracted driving, including raising the number […]

Did you know that you can be suspended for just one violation of New York’s Vehicle And Traffic Law (“VTL”)? That’s right, a traffic judge can suspend you for just one speeding ticket or other traffic offense. While on their face, most moving violation statutes in New York do not mention punishment by suspension (rather most just […]

The rules are surrounding how to calculate points from New York traffic tickets are complicated. However, for those with Taxi & Limousine Licenses, a whole different set of rules exist making the calculations even more difficult. With that said, as you will read below, some of the rules of the Taxi & Limousine Commission (“TLC”) are more favorable […]

I’ve written for years about the dangers of distracting driving and advocating for strong laws to address this problem. However, I recently read about a case that, in my opinion, takes the matter too far. An Alabama man was stopped and ticketed in Marietta, Ga., for driving while eating a McDonald’s double quarter pounder with cheese. The “culprit”, […]

A recent Insurane.com report indicates that homeowners are better drivers than renters. The website found that drivers who own their home file fewer insurance claims than than renter counterparts. Data from over 700,000 drivers was analyzed. The study also concluded that drivers 18 to 24 who lived with their parents filed the most insurance […]

In 2009, a man was illegally stopped near Dobson, N.C. because one of his brake lights was out. The owner consented to a search of the car and the police officer found a bag containing cocaine. The hitch, however, is that, under North Carolina law, it is only illegal to drive a car when both […]